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September 3 2011

6:58 PM

NORTON, Mass. -- Charl Schwartzel was, to say the least, "fairly
upset" when he bogeyed the 18th hole at TPC Boston on Saturday.

The second shot that strayed left of the green on the par 5 and
the three-putt bogey that ensued capped a frustrating opening nine
for the reigning Masters champion. And to make matters worse, "I
probably gave up two shots to the field there," Schwartzel
said.

The South African knows what it's like to get on a run, though.
After all, this is the man who birdied the final four holes at
Augusta National on Sunday last April to earn his Green Jacket.

So Schwartzel shook off any lingering anger when he opted for a
driver instead of his normal 5-wood on the first tee, then wedged
from 67 yards to 7 feet for the first of what would become six
birdies in a seven-hole stretch. Suddenly, the 27-year-old found
himself tied for the lead at 10 under with Bubba Watson and Adam
Scott at the midway point of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"It's sometimes very crucial to come back straightaway,
otherwise your round can get away from you," Schwartzel said in
understatement. "The birdie on the first just got me going in the
right mindset again. Great tee shot down 2, and all of a sudden, I
felt like, wow, I can do this again."

Schwartzel had entered the second event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs
for the FedExCup ranked 28th after falling seven spots when he
skipped last week's opener at The Barclays. He opted for the break
because he wanted to avoid a stretch that would see him on the road
for 13 weeks while he played golf in six different countries.

"It's just a bit too long for me to carry on,” Schwartzel
said. “… In order to take a proper break you need two
weeks in order to sit down and do nothing for a week and then start
preparing for the next."

When the refreshed Schwartzel walked off the course on Saturday
afternoon, he was projected at No. 4 in the FedExCup standings.
Granted, there's a lot of golf remaining, but the South African is
certainly gaining ground in the face for the $10 million bonus.

So was Schwartzel, who is a rookie on the PGA TOUR this year,
aware that both Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk won the FedExCup without
playing in the first Playoffs event?